The present invention relates to shelves for a merchandiser, and more particularly to a shelf skeleton of the shelf.
Existing shelves typically include heavy gauge steel support brackets on each end and reinforcing members that extend laterally between the support brackets. A flat sheet typically overlays the brackets and the lateral support members to provide a uniform support surface. In conventional practice, the weight that can be supported by a particular shelf significantly depends on the cross-sectional area of the lateral support members. In upright merchandisers, the support brackets typically attach to vertically-oriented shelf standards to provide support for items placed on the shelf. Existing shelf standards are often spaced apart from each other by a predefined distance that correlates to the width of the shelf to be installed in the merchandiser.